Out of the 16.5 million cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths annually, 8.6 million are of women, according to a heart disease study released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday.

It also pointed out that heart attacks and strokes are responsible for twice as many deaths in women as all cancers combined.

The launch of the study, MONICA Monograph and Multimedia Sourcebook, the largest-ever worldwide collaboration, has been timed to coincide with World Heart Day, on Sept. 28.

The theme of this year's World Heart Day "Women, heart disease and stroke" aims to draw urgent attention to the fact that CVD is not just a men's health problem.

Worldwide activities to increase awareness of heart disease in women will be organized on World Heart Day by the World Heart Federation, an NGO dedicated to the prevention of heart disease and stroke.

"Although most women fear cancer, particularly breast cancer, they do not make the same efforts to safeguard themselves from heart disease, which is eminently preventable," said Dr. Catherine Le Gales-Camus, WHO Assistant Director-General, for

Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.

"We must strive to make women aware that to keep their hearts healthy, they need to eat smart, kick smoking and move for health. "

According to WHO, the launch of the MONICA (MONItoring CArdiovascular disease) Monograph culminates a major research project, conceived in 1979, in which teams from 38 populations in 21 countries studied heart disease, stroke and risk factors from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, the largest such collaboration ever undertaken.

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